A Simple Trick With Our Phones Could Be The Key To A Full Night's Sleep

It’s probably no secret that plenty of us struggle to get a full night’s sleep each night. After all, we live in a world where we’re almost expected to be switched on at all times, with plenty spending hours every night scrolling through their phones and catching up with the world.

The problem? It can be enough to leave us more than a little sleep deprived, which can have some huge effects on our health and mental well-being. From a lowered immunity system to feeling the effects of stress even more and everything in between, it turns out a simple trick with our phones could be the key to a full night’s sleep after all.

Lower your distractions before going to bed

If you really want to get a full night’s sleep without your phone getting in the way, it could be time to take charge of how available you are in the evening. That means putting your phone into “do not disturb” or “bedtime mode” an hour or two before you want to head to bed. This means we won’t be bombarded with notifications, texts, or calls - and some phones even put themselves into grayscale in these modes, too. If not, have a look into how you can do that to make your phone even less tempting than before. The fewer distractions we have as our minds begin to unwind from the day should mean we feel more relaxed when it’s finally time to hit the hay.

The lack of notifications can be tough to juggle at first

Of course, plenty of people might feel as though they’re missing out with their phone in do not disturb mode, especially if you’re so used to being switched on to everything throughout the day. However, making this change means we can snap ourselves back into the real world without relying on our phones to relax. Having our phones in do not disturb mode can also reduce the temptation to keep checking just in case someone is trying to contact us. Constantly worrying about the rest of the world can stimulate our minds too much and affect our melatonin production. After all, how often do we need to be on social media in the early hours of the morning for an emergency?

A grayscale background reduced the amount of blue light

Another benefit of putting our phone into grayscale is that it reduces the amount of blue light that’s produced by usual phone screens. This, in turn, can be harmful to our sleeping patterns. That’s because blue light is on the same spectrum as light from the sun, so checking your screen throughout the night can switch off the melatonin receptors that help to keep us asleep as our minds think that it’s actually daylight and we should be awake. According to Professor Andrew Huberman, new research shows it’s more about the time you’re exposed to the light instead of the light itself, with the hours between 11 pm and 4 am being the most disruptive to our sleep.

Make preparations if you’re worried about not being available

It’s normal to feel anxious about cutting yourself off from the rest of the world, but all that stress won’t help in the long run when it comes to getting a full night’s sleep. Instead, be sure you’re prepared so you’re still available just in case there’s an emergency. Most of the time, this is by adding contacts to your favorites, so their calls will still come through if they need to get hold of you. Be sure to tell people this so they know to call if they need you at short notice. Also, it could be time to stop thinking about the “right” amount of sleep we need and when we “should” go to bed. The best time to sleep is when you’re tired, not when the clock says you’re supposed to be asleep. Changing the way you think about rest could be the first thing so many of us need to snap out of the cycle that keeps us awake so many nights.

Who would have thought that a simple trick with our phones could be the key to a full night’s sleep? While it might take some getting used to when switching off from the rest of the world, it could be just the thing our minds and bodies need to thrive.